I was having a conversation with @MercyMutemi, and it came to the elected representatives in Kenya who have got into power despite being implicated in grant corruption. “Yaani. We love thieves. Love them. Love them!”, Mercy exclaimed. This led to this social explanation on why we love our looters.

The Tragedy of the Commons.

The tragedy of the commons is an economic problem in which every individual tries to reap the greatest benefit from a given resource. As the demand for the resource overwhelms the supply, every individual who consumes an additional unit directly harms others who can no longer enjoy the benefits. Generally, the resource of interest is easily available to all individuals; the tragedy of the commons occurs when individuals neglect the well-being of society in the pursuit of personal gain. (Source: Investopedia).

Ok, let me now put the Tragedy of Commons into context where the normal villager can understand. This is if you have ever been to a grazing field. In most African societies, we have common grazing fields. All villagers graze on common grazing fields. This is what we call community land. But because the land has no ownership, we overstock livestock, deplete the pasture, until there is no enough for our livestock, and our animals die. On the other hand, if you have your own land, say 10 acres, you will be careful not to overgraze or overstock. So you will partition your land into paddocks, and ensure your animals graze in the paddocks using a pre-determined timetable not to deplete the pasture. That is the perfect example of the tragedy of the commons.

The tragedy of the commons: We only care if our MCA, MP, or Governor stealing from us. But if our Minister or President is stealing, he is our tribal hero. He is increasing the size of our paddocks.

What is the political relevance?

If a politician from our tribe is stealing, we have some untold pride. They are grazing on the community land of other communities thus not affecting us. We are sad if a politician from the other tribe is stealing from the common basket of all communities. We are sad when our governor steals because we are all from the same tribe in a county. The governor is grazing alone in our communal land, and denying us opportunity also to graze. All this translates into the convoluted book by Michela Wrong of 2010 who quoted whistle blower John Githongo philosophy of “it’s our time to eat”.

In a nutshell, the idea is this, if the politicians are stealing from the National coffers, then they are stealing for us, and denying other communities [enlarging our paddocks]. Which is good for us. That is the narrative some politicians use in their campaigns. They tell the electorate they stole from government to bring to them. Perfect psychology that sells to the majority simpletons in our midst. When one of our own steals, we say “wacha ajisaidie na pesa ya serikali”. We never see it as our money. Its on a bigger budget pool that we cannot comprehend. We don’t even know how it is distributed. That is the main reason we love our thieves. We love our thieves, that is in no doubt. Check the results of your last elections, and see how many politicians who looted public resources are back in positions of power and influence.

we are not divided on ideological lines. Just look at what happened in 1990 when we thought the opposition had Moi by the horns. Come 1991, we had aligned ourselves in tribal cocoons, denied mzee Jaramogi his moment of fame, and lost the “revolution” for the next 10 years.

We had a brief chance after 2003 to galvanise the county into nationhood but the experiment failed miserably. We were more than eager to support only our own(s). Ask if our owns are eating enough like other owns.

Currently, the writing is on the wall. Locals from the west loathe those from the East and the reverse is true. Not on ideological lines. Pure heavy unfounded hate. When you cut, it will bleed. We hate the tribe collectively, not the thief politician. The masses are hearded around like livestock. That is why one side will say “Uthamaki ni witu, thamaki ni ciao”, to quote David Ndii.

And that my friends, is the recipe for a Civil war. The revolution is naught.

There is a big difference between a revolution and civil war. See what happened in the Balkans or Rwanda. The common man was killing the fellow common man because he is of a difference heritage. That is civil war. Look at what happened in Russia when Tzars were diposed. Or French Revolution when the King was exiled and Queen hanged. Or what happened in Cuba, and Tunisia. That is a revolution. Kenya nearly achieved a revolution in 2003.

It’s not a fight of brother against brother, but fighting the corrupt system. I sit in the villages in Kenya and the vitrol thrown around by locals from one section of poor Kenyans to another section of poor Kenyans is retching.

And that my friends, is where our political leaders across the divide want us to be. Not fight the system. So that when they are in power, its their time to eat, as the nobodies fight proxy tribal wars.

Our new constitution was very good because it tried to save us from ourselves. For once, it envisioned independent institutions like Judiciary, executive, parliament, police, different commissions, etc. Real checks and balances of power. But what are we doing with all those checks and balances? We are diluting them, and transferring all the power to one person.

I remember with soNice discourse guys. Walu, you got me all wrong. There is a big difference between a revolution and civil war. See what happened in the Balkans or Rwanda. The common man was killing the fellow common man because he is of a difference heritage. That is civil war. Look at what happened in Russia when Tzars were diposed. Or French Revolution when the King was exiled and Queen hangged. Or what happened in Cuba, and Tunisia. That is a revolution. Kenya nearly achieved a revolution in 2003.

It’s not a fight of brother against brother, but fighting the corrupt system. I sit in the villages in Kenya and the vitrol thrown around by locals from one section of poor Kenyans to another section of poor Kenyans is retching.

And that my friends, is where our political leaders across the divide want us to be. Not fight the system. So that when they are in power, its their time to eat as the nobodies fight proxy tribal wars.

Our new constitution was very good because it tried to save us from ourselves. For once, it envisioned independent institutions like Judiciary, police, different commissions, etct. Real checks and balances of power. But whatarewe doing with all those checks and balances? We are diluting them, and transferring all the power to one person. I remember with sorrow the words on one Michuki “we don’t need a new constitution. What we wanted is to remove Moi from power. Now that he is gone, we don’t need it”. What he ment was that so long as one good person is in power, he can have all powers. But what happens when one bad person is in power?

Lord Acton put it so clearly, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.”

Technology can help Kenya achieve free Universal healthcare, and make it efficient too.
Kenya is a country where its leaders have the temerity to gives its children dog food, as the leaders eat pizza.

Consider this; healthcare in public hospitals is pathetic. It has always been like that. The public hospitals are ill equipped, Patients share beds, subjected to demeaning service , drugs are missing, doctors are few and apart, and when they are available , they do speed diagnosis so that they can go back to private practice. This systematic ruin has led to years of neglect in our healthcare system. Persevering Kenyans are used to this. They have accepted the poor service as a standard, dreading when they shall fall sick. The struggling middle-class raise funds, take loans and insurance to go to private hospitals. They are trying to escape the failures of government, and are too busy to pressure the government to offer better healthcare.

This can change. And it would not cost an arm and a leg. Nearly all civil servants access healthcare in private hospitals. Private hospitals are doing booming business. They are equipped, pharmacies have drugs, hospitals are clean, and doctors are always on time. All this is paid by taxpayers, literally. And these private hospitals are conniving. They triple bills, conspire with patients for claims, and all manner of unimaginable malpractice.

The government could have a policy that requires patients whose bills are paid by taxpayers to only access treatment in public hospitals, from the President to the lowest ranked civil servant. The policy makers would therefore demand better services because it affects them directly, and the benefits of this would reach every Mwananchi. This way, government would prioritize healthcare the way they prioritize other infrastructure projects. Former health Minister Charity Ngilu tried to change public perception by insisting on being admitted at KNH whenever she was sick.

Assuming the 150,000 civil servants together with their families use Ksh100,000 per year on medical care, that translates to 15billion. If this is allocated to public healthcare, it is enough to build 4 hospitals the size of KNH every year.

It’s scandalous that one hundred and fifteen years since King George hospitals (now Kenyatta hospital) was built, there is no national Electronic Medical Records (EMR). According to the US which has a Health Insurance Portability and Protection Act (HIPPA), an EMR is a systematized collection of patient and population electronically-stored health information in a digital format. These records can be shared across different health care settings. Records are shared through networked, enterprise-wide information systems. EMRs include a range of data, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal statistics like age and weight, and billing information.

EMR systems are designed to store data accurately and to capture the state of a patient across time. It eliminates the need to track down a patient’s previous paper medical records and assists in ensuring data is accurate and legible. It can reduce risk of data replication as there is only one modifiable file, which means the file is more likely up to date, and decreases risk of lost paperwork. Due to the digital information being searchable and in a single file, EMR’s are more effective when extracting medical data for the examination of possible trends and long term changes in a patient. EMRs also facilitate population-based studies of medical records.

An EMR is ripe for Kenya which is committed to ensuring there is Internet in all health centers across the country by the year 2017. An EMR will bring efficiency to our hospitals and cut on costs, reduce the number of record officers, eliminate storage of voluminous files, and the time doctors spend with patients. Patients on the other hand will be able to access quality medical care anywhere in the country.

I hope the current CS Dr. Mailu can read in between the lines and rescue ailing Kenyans. From his resume, he’s an intelligent and accomplished man. He can convince the self-christened digital government to walk the talk. If he teams up with the ICT CS Mucheru, I believe that will be a winning combination in bringing meaningful change.

A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. With technology, and all of us eating dog food, we will achieve free universal healthcare.

I believe Civil Society should come out strongly as genuine brokers for the national dialogue called by CORD coalition. After the entry of NARC government in power in 2002, civil society became extremely weakened because most of the activists and people of perceived good morals entered government leaving the Civil Society movement a shell. Since then, it has never recovered. It is time for us to redeem that image.

Civil Society should lead the national dialogue in Kenya – Image source Shutterstock

As a new breed of Civil Society activism enters the foray, it’s paramount they step up the fight for the common citizen as the Civil Society strive be relevant. It would be imprudent for Civil Society to remain sidelined in these intense times. Civil Society have a unique advantage of being respected by Kenyans regardless of political affiliation, tribe, and social standing. It is therefore my call for us to come out very strongly as the convener of national dialogue since we represent the genuine interests of the people.

Civil Society should come out strongly as a genuine broker and convener of national dialogue in Kenya.

The opposition and government alike only have their interests at heart as they lay conditions for the national dialogue. Demagogues and sycophants will take sides and incite their followers seeking their interests to be catered for in government at the expense of the people who feel the pinch of incompetent leadership.

Arise Civil Society and be felt in championing a better life for all Kenyans. It is our time to be counted.

Should we in Kenya lie to ourselves that we are a leading ICT destination in Africa? Lying to ourselves has the positive effect of creating momentum, good International Public Relations, and much needed media coverage. In the past ten years we’ve seen a flurry of business angels and venture capitalists hawk the landscape in search of the next MPESA. That has had a positive impact on the ICT space with several innovations getting noticed and funded. Actually, many of the innovations hubs have thrived because of riding the “ICT wave” that Kenya is the final destination in Africa when it comes to ICTs. And because the hubs thrive, they help to cement that notion by walking the talk. The many Apps competitions like DEMO Africa, and PIVOT East too have thrive because of the same notion, and stimulate our young people to develop great applications. And the cycle continues.

Kenya has become a launchpad for Africa’s commercial strategy for Tech firms, as Kenya grows it’s influence as the regional tech hub powerhouse. Multinationals like the IBM (research lab), Google, Microsoft, Samsung, and Bharti Airtel have all noticed and setup regional hubs in Kenya because of confidence in us. While in Indonesia for the 8th IGF as an Internet Society Ambassador, I met a Fijian lady who was praising Kenya for being the silicon valley of Africa. Indeed, a Kenyan Bernard of nikohapa.com won the AfriNIC/SEED Alliance FIRE award for the best application in the region.

Remember, according to some CNN article by Todd Leopold, (http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/02/us/american-exceptionalism-other-countries-lessons) Americans lag behind in many academic and social measurements. They are number 27th in Mathematics, 50th in life expectancy, 72nd in paying taxes, and 173rd in infant mortality yet they are number 1 in self confidence, and they literally rule the world. Rwanda too is riding on the wave of good international PR, my thesis is, after 30th years, it will be Africa’s Singapore. We need that confidence, PR and international goodwill to rub on us. I don’t mind if we lie to ourselves.

We owe much of the gains of the last 10 years to the optimism that swept the country after the 2002 elections, and the pragmatism of President Kibaki who realised the value of PR for the country, and Dr. Ndemo’s action oriented approach in growing the ICT sector (remember the impossible undersea cable and the dream Konza Technology city).
Vision 2030 too was part of that optimism. I hope and pray that the Uhuru regime will capitalise on the gains made, and move us to even greater heights.

Finally, lets celebrate the young Kenyans who spend countless hours in University of Nairobi Nokia lab and innovation Lab, Strathmore’s iLab, iHub, Nailab, mLab, e.t.c. This guys have made Kenya a technology tourism destination, and contributed to the confidence we enjoy now.

I met a Kenyan in hell,
Who recited to me,
His experiences,
Before departure …

“We have had problems,
of bad leadership,
since time in memorial.
All our leaders,
betray us.
Kenyatta was a sell-out.
He pretended,
to be a freedom fighter,
went to the UK,
married a white woman,
worked for dog years,
then came back as a hero…
After 9 years in Jail,
we saw him fit to rule.
He dined with the oppressors;
disarmed,
then thanked the mau-mau,
With nothing,
and set a culture
of people worshiping him.
Every public place bared
either his name,
the name of his son,
the name of his wife,
or the name his cronies.
Central province became
the richest place to be.
It still is.
Coffee became the most prized,
black gold.
Kenyatta acquired land
larger than Rwanda.
And gave his cronies,
some more.
Half the cabinet was his tribesmen.
Anybody who opened,
His mouth,
Danced,
Ask JM
Ask Mboya,
Ask Pio,
Ask … more …
Kenyatta happened to join me.
He was the light of Kenya
kenya-taa.
His son is an MP.
The leader of opposition.
..and,
The president in waiting,

Moi came.
He promised,
to follow the footsteps.
And he did.
and set a culture
of people worshiping him.
Every public place,
every school,
every hospital,
every road,
every cemetery,
every ward,
every bridge,
bared his name.
He created an airport,
In the desert,
Tea became,
the most prized,
black gold.
Coffee died,
Still dead,
Moi acquired land
larger than Rwanda.
And gave his cronies,
some more.
Half the cabinet was his tribesmen.
More naming and renaming.
More land.
Anybody who opened,
His mouth,
Danced,
More killings.
Ask Ouko,
Ask Ochuka,
Ask Muge,
Ask .. Clashes.. Clashes..
And more.
And … many more ..
And ..Wagala,….
Prices inflated.
Deflation never,
happens in Kenya.
He auctioned,
The country,
To the highest bidder,
Half the Cabinet,
was his tribesmen.
Moi went.
His son is an MP.
He is an expert polo player.
He imported,
more cars,
than general motors,
duty free.
He is the happiest man,
on earth.

Kibaki came.
Still has,
larger land,
than Burundi.
A professional golfer.
He served,
Both Moi,
And Kenyatta,
Governments.
All his Ministers were,
professional golfers too.
Prices inflated.
Deflation never,
happens in Kenya.
He auctioned,
The country,
To the highest bidder,
Look at,
Anglo-leasing,
Security contracts,
Artur,
And …. More ….
Half the cabinet,
is his tribesmen.
He created,
half a million jobs,
in river road.
And killed the traders,
in riots with the police.
And put patrols,
in river-road.
Asians can afford to trade
without fear.
Kenyans can afford,
to run,
without stopping.
Because when they stops,
a bullet ………….
The vicious cycle,
continues ………….
More killings,
Then, some more
Ask Mbai ..,
Ask Kisumu residents,
Inspired by Tuju,
Ask … more …
Kenyans,
will never learn,
Kenyatta ii,
Is waiting,
Moi ii,
Is waiting,
Mudavadi ii,
Is waiting,
Ngala ii,
Is waiting,
Mirugi ii,
Is waiting,
Nyaga ii,
Is waiting,
Odinga ii,
Is waiting,
A culture,
Of the,
Ruling class,
Waiting to,
Follow the,
Footsteps.
We are not,
In the third stage,
Nor the second,
Part one is nearing,
The end,
Then part ii,
……………
……………
Who will make,
The ruling class,
DANCE?
Who will stop,
The MUSIC?
I dropped down,
in exhaustion,
And passed,
the baton……..”

Gloom and sorrow greeted the rigging of elections and subsequent swearing in of the looser, one Emilio. Violence erupted in several parts of Kenya, with the death toll running to the hundreds, and destruction of property of un-audited proportions. All the same we should never forget “Power goes to those who deserve it most – the people”

One important question I would like answered would be “Do you want to feast on a fat calf in a house of turmoil and acrimony or do you want to settle to a humble meal of herbs in a house of peace?”

I have about 15 culprits to blame for the vote rigging.

Me and you: We never voted conclusively like in 2002. Kenyans of both political divide are regretting not voting at all, or backing the wrong horse. We were not strong enough in mass action, and pressurizing the government for a FREE and FAIR election, and after the announcement of the winner, we did not turn up in our millions in a non violent Mahatma Style demo.You and Me for killing innocent Kenyans. We will never forget.

Moi and Co: Initially, I thought that Moi was a fly in Kibaki’s soup. This was never the case, because his finances and political mentoring hardened Kibaki and ensured that the incumbent did not concede defeat whatsoever.

Kivuitu: A conspiracy theory has it “NSIS mixed up and threatened Kivuitu, going as far as kidnapping members of his family so as coax him to read pre-typed results, then escort him with armed guard to state house to hand over a pre-typed nomination certificate, with KBC and Citizen cameras in tow.” The truth is he lied to Kenyans that Presiding officers had vanished with Presidential results yet he had announced parliamentary and civic candidates, and his officers were in the background altering (Kivuitus words “and cooking”) the presidential result, finally having them not tally to parliamentary results. Kivuitu had the option to be bold and announce ODM as winners, and tell the media through live feed that the government had threatened him and his family. He also had the option of resigning, instead of being used to announce doctored results. Kivuitu has always been part of the establishment.

ECK: The ECK Chairman’s cried that his Returning Officers had gone missing (or rather, he couldn’t find them on phone). This was monitored via live feed by Kenyan and international media. . He went further to announce his fears that the results were being ‘cooked’ wherever they were. He then stated the Commission had its ways of finding out and enforcing the right figures. Unconfirmed reports claimed that after night-long scrutiny of Votes the ECK had arrived at the following figures: Raila: 4.8 million. Kibaki: 3.6 million. However PNU strongly disagreed with the tally but Kivuitu challenged them to justify their claim. ECK thrashed the trust Kenya had put on it to serve a Fair election.

Media (The forth estate): In the elections tally, figures seem to have been adjusted and the Kenyan Media seems to have been so ready to adjust their ‘from-the-ground-figures’ without any explanations. Journalists are no longer just messengers who accept anything and everything that they are given. In most of the results that were being disputed, there were sound-bytes of the Returning Officers making the announcements. Where were journalists to ask Mr Kivuitu why he was referring those with visible disputes to Courts? The media let the citizen down and they should not blame anybody for it

Major Ali and Major General Kianga: For not threatening the establishment. During Kibaki’s supposed inauguration, THE NATIONAL ANTHEM WAS NOT PLAYED OR SUNG during the entire ceremony as required by law. Why did the military rehearse for a whole week at Nyayo stadium?

Mwai Kibaki: For placing his relatives and tribe mates like Idi-Amin and Saddam to head the military and police wings, so that all revolt can be quashed. For colluding with his cronies to deny Kenya democracy and the rule of law. What else can a man stealing votes steal?

Kalonzo Musyoka: For taking sides with an illegitimate government. What happened to Christian values? His political career is moribund and after having roped in the Akamba community into his ill-fated presidential bid, he is the least qualified to act as a mediator in a conflict which pits parties that garnered more than 10 times his own presidential votes. This is made even worse by the fact that Kalonzo’s ODM-K took sides at the most crucial point in endorsing a great injustice during the time ODM was making gallant and spirited efforts in stopping a kidnapped ECK Chairman reading illegitimate presidential results.

Raila Odinga and the Pentagon: You never saw this coming!

The clergy and Cardinal Njue: For not asserting their position in society.

Michuki: Given a .45 with two rounds, and Moi, Biwot and Michuki were on line, guess who of the three would be spared?

EU, USA and Britain: For sitting in the fence. Can they be more forceful than that?

Kenya Police: God, those killed by you, and tribal haters are सो मानी।

For the Kenyans who do not speak and act now, remember the words of Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

“When the Nazis came for the communists,I remained silent;I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,I remained silent;I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,I did not speak out;I was not a trade unionist.

I met a Kenyan in hell,Who recited to me,His experiences,Before departure —

“We have had problems,of bad leadership,since time in memorial.All our leaders,betray us.Kenyatta was a sell-out.He pretended,to be a freedom fighter,went to the UK,married a white woman,worked for dog years,then came back as a hero…After 9 years in Jail,we saw him fit to rule.He dined with the oppressors;disarmed,then thanked the mau-mau,With nothing,and set a cultureof people worshiping him.Every public place baredeither his name,the name of his son,the name of his wife,or the name his cronies.Central province becamethe richest place to be.It still is.Coffee became the most prized,black gold.Kenyatta acquired landlarger than Rwanda.And gave his cronies,some more.Half the cabinet was his tribesmen.Anybody who opened,His mouth,Danced,Ask JMAsk Mboya,Ask Pio,Ask … more …Kenyatta happened to die.He was the light of Kenya[kenya-taa].His son is an MP.The leader of opposition...and,The president in waiting,

Moi came.He promised,to follow the footsteps.And he did.and set a cultureof people worshiping him.Every public place,every school,every hospital,every road,every cemetery,every ward,every bridge,bared his name.He created an airport,In the desert,Tea became,the most prized,black gold.Coffee died,Still dead,Moi acquired landlarger than Rwanda.And gave his cronies,some more.Half the cabinet was his tribesmen.More naming and renaming.More land.Anybody who opened,His mouth,Danced,More killings.Ask Ouko,Ask Ochuka,Ask Muge,Ask .. Clashes.. Clashes..And more.And … many more ..And ..Wagala,….Prices inflated.Deflation never,happens in Kenya.He auctioned,The country,To the highest bidder,Half the Cabinet,was his tribesmen.Moi went.His son is an MP.He is an expert polo player.He imported,more cars,than general motors,duty free.He is the happiest man,on earth.

When you as a Kenyan step into the voting booth in December 2007 to vote for your preferred Counsellor, MP, or Presidential candidate, you have a unique opportunity to personally help shape our national policy and the direction of this country. Please try to never make the mistake of voting a straight party ticket regardless of who is running under party banners. There are virtuous candidates running in small parties and deserve a chance to transform the economy, and leadership norms.

The powers of major parties are turning up the pressure for you not to think for yourself and blindly follow their urging and vote straight ODM, ODM-K or NARK-Kenya. Don’t fall for it!

There are candidates of large parties who do not deserve to be elected. They are tainted, corrupt, and extremely selfish. We know of popular politicians who have wrecked Kenya, are still controlling the economy, and always go back to parliament after five years. This problem is perpetuated by the Voter. Know whom you vote for, regardless of which party they belong to. The old adages ”Bad leaders are elected by good people who don’t vote’’ and “it only takes good people to do nothing for evil to triumph” are timeless and holds true today.